Chicopee to study storm water fee, could make it less expensive or more equitable

The Board of Sewer Commissioners said there are no plans to raise the fee.
CHICOPEE - The city will hire a firm to research the storm water fee charged to all residents and businesses to see if there is a more equitable way to assess, and possibly reduce, the fee.
To help pay for the federal Environmental Protection Agency mandate that requires the city to stop dumping raw sewage into the rivers, the city assessed a storm water management fee to all residential bills about 20 years ago.
The fees are used to help treat the storm water which flows into the combined sewer and storm water pipes and helps fund ongoing about $300 million construction project to separate all the pipes in the city.
The idea is to use...